So many new people! So much laughter. And such a presence of God while Ste (short for Steven) and his wife Kathy, shared their story.
50 people gathered in the City Suite of the Mercure Hotel in Norwich to enjoy roast beef, followed by crumble. The laughter over the dinner turned to a sense of awe as Michelle spoke of how she was sexually abused as a child, and could not go near the family member responsible. Years later she encountered him. He said he had come to faith in prison, and asked her to forgive him. Joy and reconciliation followed. Soon after, he went to be with the Lord.
Ste said that the car the Lord has given him is better than any he had ever nicked. Following a happy childhood, his parents divorced and Ste felt wretched, going from alcohol to stronger and stronger drugs. He came to Christ, but later slipped back into heroin. And then, after another encounter with Jesus, he just stopped. No more drugs. Clean for several years now, and helping drug addicts. Kathy has always been a prison visitor, and just loves the work, where she sees prisoners coming to faith, with their lives dramatically changed.
At the end of the meeting, people were asking for prayer, and it seemed that nobody really wanted to go home. Our next meeting is 22nd March.